£7m star set to miss West Brom v Coventry City plus five others
In an attempt to end a lengthy winning streak, West Bromwich Albion will play their West Midlands rivals Coventry City at The Hawthorns on Wednesday night.
Following a 2-2 draw with league leaders Sheffield United in the Black Country on Sunday, the Baggies recorded their tenth blank in their last eleven Championship games. Carlos Corberan’s team is currently in eighth place, two points outside the top six and nine points from an automatic promotion spot.
| EFL Championship standings, as of December 9 | ||||
| Position | Team | P | GD | Pts |
| 1st | Sheffield United | 19 | +16 | 39 |
| 2nd | Leeds United | 19 | +20 | 38 |
| 3rd | Burnley | 19 | +17 | 37 |
| 4th | Sunderland | 19 | +14 | 36 |
| 5th | Middlesbrough | 19 | +11 | 31 |
| 6th | Blackburn | 18 | +5 | 31 |
| 7th | Watford | 18 | +2 | 30 |
| 8th | West Brom | 19 | +7 | 29 |
In the meantime, Coventry City defeated Millwall 1-0 on the road to secure their first league win under Frank Lampard. This made the former Chelsea legend undefeated in his first two games as manager.
Ephron Mason-Clark’s goal in the 63rd minute gave the Sky Blues the victory, moving them up to 14th place in the second division standings as they aim for back-to-back away victories when they visit B71.
| EFL Championship standings, as of December 9 | ||||
| Position | Team | P | GD | Pts |
| 11th | Millwall | 19 | +4 | 25 |
| 12th | Bristol City | 19 | 0 | 25 |
| 13th | Swansea City | 19 | +1 | 24 |
| 14th | Coventry City | 19 | -2 | 21 |
| 15th | Stoke City | 19 | -4 | 21 |
| 16th | Derby County | 19 | -4 | 20 |
| 17th | Preston North End | 19 | -8 | 19 |
| 18th | Luton Town | 19 | -13 | 19 |
Both camps will surely be disrupted by injuries as the Championship games approach quickly during the winter. The Football League World lists the players who will miss the West Midlands match at The Hawthorns.
West Brom: Semi Ajayi
The Baggies will be without Nigerian international Ajayi for some time after he injured his hamstring during Albion’s October draw with Cardiff City.
The former Rotherham United defender would be sidelined for the next 16 weeks due to surgery, according to Corberan.
Ajayi is still recovering from such a major complaint, thus he will continue to miss the winter schedule.
West Brom: Paddy McNair
Likewise to Ajayi in the stalemate against Cardiff, McNair was also forced off in the opening minutes with a hamstring injury.
Since his loan from American team San Diego expires in the new year, the situation is a little less serious for the Northern Ireland international, who was sidelined for eight weeks at the time.
McNair is unlikely to return against the Sky Blues, as there is not much time left for him to make some last outings in a blue and white shirt.
West Brom: Grady Diangana
Due to a calf issue, Diangana has also been out from first-team action recently, missing the last four games in the second division.
In his pregame press conference for the Sheffield United game, Corberan disclosed that the 26-year-old Congolese international had visited a specialist, who diagnosed him with nerve damage in the region.
Diangana is expected to be out for the foreseeable future since there is no indication of when he will return.
West Brom: Daryl Dike
Following a second Achilles procedure in February, American international Dike has once again missed a significant amount of time for the Baggies.
The former Barnsley striker, who cost over £7 million to sign, has resumed grass-field training in recent weeks, but experienced a minor setback in his recuperation after experiencing hamstring pain.
Dike will likely be eligible for selection once more in the upcoming season, providing a much-needed front line boost to relieve pressure on Josh Maja, the team’s top scorer.
Coventry City: Ben Wilson
Ben Wilson, the goalie for the Sky Blues, has missed the last ten Championship games after he injured his knee ligament in early October.
Wilson has returned to the turf at Ryton and is making good progress ahead of a return to first-team action, Lampard stated in a statement prior to the Millwall match.
Wilson may return and make his debut under Lampard very soon, although it is anticipated that he will not participate in Coventry’s trip to The Hawthorns.
Coventry City: Haji Wright
Haji Wright, a fellow American forward who is still recovering from an ankle ailment he suffered in November, rounds up the list of injuries.
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In addition to discussing Wilson at his before Millwall press conference, Lampard added that Wright is making good progress following his injury, although no timeline has been established for the forward’s comeback.
Given the current game calendar, Coventry will be encouraged by Wright’s impending comeback, even though it is unlikely that he will be leading the charge in the Black Country on Wednesday night.
